Le Sueur County, Minnesota
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Le Sueur County (Script error: No such module "IPAc-en". Script error: No such module "Respell".)[1] is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,674.[2] Its county seat is Le Center.[3]
Le Sueur County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Minnesota Territory legislature established several counties in 1853. This county was created on March 5 of that year. It was named for French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, who visited the area in 1700.[4]
The settlement of Le Sueur (actually two competing settlements, Le Sueur and Le Sueur City) had sprung up on the east bank of the Minnesota River, both being platted in 1852. The legislature named the combined area as the first county seat. However, its remoteness from most of the county meant hardship for most of the area's residents since the county was covered with dense hardwood forest and existing roads were impassable when wet.
Several efforts were made to acquire a more central location. In the early 1870s, Cleveland (established in 1857, inland from the river in the SW part of the county) held a referendum to become the county seat. The referendum passed, but was challenged due to voting irregularities. In 1875 another referendum made Cleveland the county seat (1875-1876). In 1876, another referendum approved moving the seat to the newly created town of Le Sueur Center; the seat was promptly moved there.[5] In the 1870s, businessmen from Waterville gained ownership of a quarter-section of land near the county's center, cleared the timber, and platted the city of Le Sueur Center (1876). The seat was moved there after a county referendum approved it. The county seat has remained in Le Sueur Center (renamed Le Center in 1930) since 1876.
The first railroad entered the county in 1867. This began the era of greater access and mobility. The first purpose-built courthouse in Le Sueur Center was constructed in 1896–7. It has been extensively remodeled and enlarged two times since.[6]
Geography
The Minnesota River flows northeastward along the west border of Le Sueur County, on its way to discharge into the Mississippi. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The soil is rich and black.[6][8] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near the midpoint of its east border, at Script error: No such module "convert". ASL.[9] The county has an area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (5.3%) is water.[10] Le Sueur is one of seven Minnesota savanna region counties where no forest soils exist and one of 17 counties where savanna soils dominate.
Lakes
Script error: No such module "Hatnote". The following lakes are partially or completely within Le Sueur County:[8]
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- Borer Lake
- Bossuot Lake
- Clear Lake
- Decker Lake
- Diamond Lake
- Dietz Lake
- Dog Lake
- Dora Lake
- Eggert Lake
- Ely Lake
- Emily Lake
- Fish Lake
- German Lake
- Goldsmith Lake
- Goose Lake (Cordova Township)
- Goose Lake (Waterville Township)
- Gorman Lake
- Greenleaf Lake
- Harkridge Lake
- Horseshoe Lake (part)
- Huoy Lake
- Lake Emily
- Lake Francis
- Lake Henry
- Lake Jefferson
- Lake Mabel
- Lake Pepin
- Lake Sanborn
- Lake Tustin
- Lake Volney
- Lake Washington
- Mareks Lake
- Mary Lake
- Mud Lake (Cordova Township)
- Mud Lake (Lanesburgh Township)
- Mud Lake (Lexington Township)
- North Goldsmith Lake
- Perch Lake
- Rays Lake
- Rice Lake
- Roemhildts Lake
- Round Lake
- Sabre Lake
- Sakatah Lake (part)
- Sanborn Lake
- Sasse Lake
- Savidge Lake
- School Lake
- Scotch Lake
- Shanghai Lake
- Sheas Lake
- Silver Lake (Cleveland Township)
- Silver Lake (Elysian Township)
- Sleepy Eye Lake
- Steele Lake
- Sunfish Lake
- Tetonka Lake (headwaters of Cannon River)
- Thomas Lake
- Tyler Lake
Protected areas
The following protected areas are within Le Sueur County:[8]
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- Bardel State Wildlife Management Area
- Chadderdon State Wildlife Management Area
- Chamberlain Woods Scientific and Natural Area
- Diamond Lake State Wildlife Management Area
- Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Ottawa State Wildlife Management Area
- Paddy Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
- Saint Thomas State Wildlife Management Area
- Sakatah Lake State Park (part)
- Seven Mile Creek State Park (part)
- Shanghai State Wildlife Area
- Sheas Lake State Wildlife Area
Major highways
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- File:US 169 (MN).svg US Highway 169
- File:MN-13.svg Minnesota State Highway 13
- File:MN-19.svg Minnesota State Highway 19
- File:MN-21.svg Minnesota State Highway 21
- File:MN-22.svg Minnesota State Highway 22
- File:MN-60.svg Minnesota State Highway 60
- File:MN-93.svg Minnesota State Highway 93
- File:MN-99.svg Minnesota State Highway 99
- List of county roads
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Adjacent counties
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- Scott County - north
- Rice County - east
- Waseca County - south
- Blue Earth County - southwest
- Nicollet County - west
- Sibley County - northwest
Demographics
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| Census | Pop. | Template:Sronly | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 5,318 | — | |
| 1870 | 11,607 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1880 | 16,303 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1890 | 19,057 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1900 | 20,234 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1910 | 18,609 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1920 | 17,870 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1930 | 17,990 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1940 | 19,227 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1950 | 19,088 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1960 | 19,906 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1970 | 21,331 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1980 | 23,434 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 1990 | 23,929 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2000 | 25,426 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2010 | 27,703 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2020 | 28,674 | Script error: No such module "String".% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 29,453 | [11] Increase | Script error: No such module "String".% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010-2020[2] | |||
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Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[16] | Pop 1990[17] | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[19] | Pop 2020[20] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 23,236 | 22,987 | 24,097 | 25,691 | 25,463 | 99.16% | 98.92% | 94.77% | 92.74% | 88.80% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6 | 13 | 38 | 88 | 262 | 0.03% | 0.06% | 0.15% | 0.32% | 0.91% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 34 | 50 | 65 | 72 | 67 | 0.15% | 0.22% | 0.26% | 0.26% | 0.23% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 61 | 62 | 76 | 159 | 134 | 0.26% | 0.27% | 0.30% | 0.57% | 0.47% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [21] | x [22] | 10 | 5 | 20 | x | x | 0.04% | 0.02% | 0.07% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 58 | 0.05% | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.06% | 0.20% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [23] | x [24] | 140 | 227 | 798 | x | x | 0.55% | 0.82% | 2.78% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 86 | 123 | 997 | 1,444 | 1,872 | 0.37% | 0.53% | 3.92% | 5.21% | 6.53% |
| Total | 23,434 | 23,239 | 25,426 | 27,703 | 28,674 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,674. The median age was 41.5 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.6 males age 18 and over.[25][26]
The racial makeup of the county was 90.6% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.[26]
14.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 85.8% lived in rural areas.[27]
There were 11,287 households in the county, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.9% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[25]
There were 12,811 housing units, of which 11.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.9% were owner-occupied and 18.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.[25]
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, the county had 25,426 people, 9,630 households, and 6,923 families. The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 10,858 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert".. The county's racial makeup was 96.56% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 3.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.9% were of German, 9.0% Czech, 9.0% Norwegian and 8.2% Irish ancestry. 94.0% spoke English, 3.5% Spanish and 1.7% Czech as their first language.
There were 9,630 households, of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10.
27.40% of the county's population was under age 18, 7.50% was from age 18 to 24, 27.80% was from age 25 to 44, 23.20% was from age 45 to 64, and 14.10% were age 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.
The country's median household income was $45,933, and the median family income was $53,000. Males had a median income of $34,196 versus $24,214 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,151. About 4.80% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
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- Cleveland
- Elysian (partial)
- Heidelberg
- Kasota
- Le Center (county seat)
- Le Sueur (partial)
- Kilkenny
- Mankato (partial)
- Montgomery
- New Prague (partial)
- Waterville
Unincorporated communities
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- Cordova
- Greenland
- Henderson Station
- Lexington
- Marysburg (partial)
- Ottawa
- St. Henry
- St. Thomas
- Union Hill (partial)
Former communities
Townships
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Politics
Le Sueur County residents usually vote Republican. The last Democrat to win an absolute majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton did carry the county by narrow pluralities in 1992 and 1996 due to high third-party performance. Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis also came close to flipping the county in 1988, only losing it by 5 votes. In 2020, Donald Trump performed better than any Republican in the county since Warren G. Harding in 1920, and he broke this record again in 2024, receiving 66% of the county's vote in the latter election.[30] Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
See also
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names, pp. 300-302 (1920). Accessed 16 March 2019
- ↑ a b County History (accessed March 16, 2019)
- ↑ Nelson, Steven (2011)."Savanna Soils of Minnesota."Minnesota:Self.pp43 - 48.Template:ISBN
- ↑ a b c Le Sueur County MN Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Okaman Cemetery MN Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)
- ↑ Minnesota Geographic Names, p. 303 (accessed March 16, 2019)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
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